The decision between building in-house or partnering with an agency shapes your entire product journey. In the fast-moving AI landscape, the wrong choice can mean missing market windows or burning through runway. SpeedMVPs' agency model delivers production-ready AI MVPs in 2-3 weeks—faster than most teams can even complete hiring.
The Comparison
Agency Development: Speed, Expertise, Focus
Partnering with an agency like SpeedMVPs brings immediate access to specialized AI expertise and proven methodologies.
- Immediate Start - No hiring delays, onboarding, or team building. Development begins within days, not months
- Proven Expertise - Access to teams that have built dozens of AI products, avoiding common pitfalls
- Fixed Timeline - 2-3 week delivery with clear milestones and predictable outcomes
- Cost Efficiency - Fixed pricing eliminates budget surprises and scope creep
In-House Development: Control, Customization, Long-term
Building an internal team offers full control but requires significant time and investment before development even begins.
- ×Hiring Timeline - 3-6 months to recruit, interview, and onboard AI specialists
- ×Learning Curve - Team must learn your domain, build processes, and make mistakes on your dime
- ×Higher Initial Cost - Salaries, benefits, tools, and infrastructure before any code is written
- ×Resource Allocation - Diverts focus from core business while building development capability
Cost and Timeline Comparison
| Factor | MVP Approach | Alternative |
|---|---|---|
| Time to First MVP | 2-3 weeks | 4-6 months (hiring + development) |
| Initial Investment | Fixed price, predictable | Salaries + infrastructure + time |
| Expertise Access | Immediate, specialized | Must build or acquire |
| Risk Level | Lower - proven methodology | Higher - unproven team |
| Scalability | Flexible - scale up/down as needed | Fixed team size, harder to adjust |
Key Takeaways
- Agency development delivers MVPs 10x faster than building in-house teams
- Fixed pricing eliminates budget surprises common with in-house development
- In-house makes sense for long-term products, not initial validation
- SpeedMVPs combines agency speed with enterprise-quality delivery
- Start with agency, build in-house capability after product validation
Strategic Implications
Startup Founders
Agency development preserves runway and gets you to market faster. In-house makes sense only if you have 6+ months and significant capital.
Enterprise Innovation Leads
Agency partnerships enable rapid experimentation without long-term commitments. Build internal capability only after validating product-market fit.
Product Managers
Agency teams bring battle-tested processes. In-house teams require you to build processes from scratch while learning.